Crab meat extracting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A crab meat extracting apparatus for extracting the meat from a boiled or cooked crab. The crab meat extracting apparatus includes a planar base member having a top side; and also includes a crab support member being attached upon the top side of the planar base member; and further includes a tray being removably disposed upon the planar base member; and also includes a crab compressing assembly including a crab compressing plate being hingedly attached to the crab support member and being removably disposed upon the crab support member for compressing a shelled crab between the crab support member and the crab compressing plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to crab meat extractors and moreparticularly pertains to a new crab meat extracting apparatus forextracting the meat from a boiled or cooked crab.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of crab meat extractors is known in the prior art. Morespecifically, crab meat extractors heretofore devised and utilized areknown to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structuralconfigurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by thecrowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment ofcountless objectives and requirements.

Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,256; U.S. Pat. No.4,513,478; U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,077; U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,547; U.S. Pat.No. 4,523,349; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 297,093.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new crab meatextracting apparatus. The prior art includes various types of crab meatextractors having handles and compressors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new crab meat extractingapparatus which has many of the advantages of the crab meat extractorsmentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new crabmeat extracting apparatus which is not anticipated, rendered obvious,suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art crab meat extractors,either alone or in any combination thereof. The present inventionincludes a planar base member having a top side; and also includes acrab support member being attached upon the top side of the planar basemember; and further includes a tray being removably disposed upon theplanar base member; and also includes a crab compressing assemblyincluding a crab compressing plate being hingedly attached to the crabsupport member and being removably disposed upon the crab support memberfor compressing a shelled crab between the crab support member and thecrab compressing plate. None of the prior art includes the combinationof the elements of the present invention.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the crab meat extracting apparatus in order that thedetailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, andin order that the present contribution to the art may be betterappreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will bedescribed hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of theclaims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new crab meatextracting apparatus which has many of the advantages of the crab meatextractors mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in anew crab meat extracting apparatus which is not anticipated, renderedobvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art crab meatextractors, either alone or in any combination thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new crabmeat extracting apparatus for extracting the meat from a boiled orcooked crab.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newcrab meat extracting apparatus that is easy and convenient to set up anduse.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a newcrab meat extracting apparatus that eliminates the mess usuallyassociated with extracting meat from a crab.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new crab meat extracting apparatusaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a lateral cross sectional view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another lateral cross sectional view of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through4 thereof, a new crab meat extracting apparatus embodying the principlesand concepts of the present invention and generally designated by thereference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the crab meat extractingapparatus 10 generally comprises a planar base member 11 having a topside 12. A crab support member 13 is conventionally attached upon thetop side 12 of the planar base member 11. The crab support member 13 isa plate having a semi-circular main portion 14 and also having planarend portions 15, 16 which are fastened upon the top side 12 of theplanar base member 11. A tray 33 is removably disposed upon the planarbase member 11. The tray 33 includes a bottom wall 34, and also includesa side wall 35 and an end wall 36 being conventionally attached along aperimeter of the bottom wall 34.

A crab compressing assembly includes a crab compressing plate 17 beinghingedly attached to the crab support member 13 and being removablydisposed upon the crab support member 13 for compressing a shelled crabbetween the crab support member 13 and the crab compressing plate 17.The crab compressing plate 17 is longitudinally curved and has an end 18which is hingedly attached to one of the planar end portions 15,16 ofthe crab support member 13. The crab compressing plate 17 is disposedgenerally parallel to the crab support member 13 upon the crabcompressing plate 17 being disposed upon the crab support member 13. Thecrab compressing assembly also includes a bracket member 19 beingconventionally attached upon the top side 12 of the planar base member11, and further includes a handle assembly being pivotally mounted tothe bracket member 19, and also includes a roller member 32 beingconventionally mounted upon the handle assembly and being rollablyengaged upon the crab compressing plate 17. The bracket member 19includes an elongate main portion 20 and also includes end portions21,23 being angled relative to the elongate main portion 20, and beingdisposed generally perpendicular to the planar base member 11, andhaving holes 22,24 being disposed therethrough. The handle assemblyincludes a pair of elongate handle support members 25,27 having angledfirst end portions 26,28 each of which is pivotally disposed in the hole22,24 of a respective end portion 21,23 of the bracket member 19, andalso includes a handle support cross member 29 being integrally attachedto second ends of and extending between the elongate handle supportmembers 25,27, and also includes a roller support cross member 31 beingconventionally attached intermediate of the first ends portions 26,28and the second ends of and extending between the elongate handle supportmembers 25,27, and further includes a handle member 30 being disposedabout the handle support cross member 29. The roller member 32 isrollably disposed about the roller support cross member 31.

In use, the user places a shelled crab upon the crab support member 13,and pivots the handle assembly by grasping the handle member 30 upon thecrab compressing plate 17 which presses upon the shelled crab thusforcing the crab meat out and upon the tray 33.

As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of thepresent invention, the same should be apparent from the abovedescription. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the mannerof usage and operation will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the crab meat extracting apparatus. Further, sincenumerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilledin the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, allsuitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention.

1. (canceled)
 2. A crab meat extracting apparatus comprising: a planarbase member having a top side and including a tray; a crab supportmember being attached upon said top side of said planar base member,said crab support member being is an arch having a semi-circular mainportion and also having end portions which are fastened upon said topside of said planar base member; and a crab compressing assemblyincluding a crab compressing plate being hingedly attached to said crabsupport member and being removably disposed upon said crab supportmember for holding and compressing a shelled crab between said crabsupport member and said crab compressing plate.
 3. A crab meatextracting apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein said tray includesa bottom wall, and also includes a side and an end wall being attachedalong a perimeter of said bottom wall.
 4. A crab meat extractingapparatus as described in claim 3, wherein said crab compressing plateis longitudinally curved and has an end which is hingedly attached toone of said planar end portions of said crab support member, said crabcompressing plate being disposed generally concentric to said crabsupport member upon said crab compressing plate being disposed upon saidcrab support member.
 5. A crab meat extracting apparatus as described inclaim 4 wherein said crab compressing assembly also includes a bracketmember being attached upon said top side of said planar base member, andfurther includes a handle assembly being pivotally mounted to saidbracket member, and also includes a roller member being mounted uponsaid handle assembly and being rollably engaged upon said crabcompressing plate.
 6. A crab meat extracting apparatus as described inclaim 5 wherein said bracket member includes an elongate main portionand also includes end portions being angled relative to said elongatemain portion, and being disposed generally perpendicular to said planarbase member, and having holes being disposed therethrough.
 7. A crabmeat extracting apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein said handleassembly includes a pair of elongate handle support members havingangled first end portions each of which is pivotally disposed in saidhole of a respective said end portion of said bracket member, and alsoincludes a handle support cross member being attached to second ends ofand extending between said elongate handle support members, and alsoincludes a roller support cross member being attached intermediate ofsaid first ends portions and said second ends of and extending betweensaid elongate handle support members, and further includes a handlemember being disposed about said handle support cross member, saidroller member being rollably disposed about said roller support crossmember.